Future looks bright for Lexington

It could be said that Lexington's athletic department absorbed a collective 1-2 punch to the gut when the head coaches for the school's two highest profile sports resigned within a two-month period.

mike duprez

It could be said that Lexington's athletic department absorbed a collective 1-2 punch to the gut when the head coaches for the school's two highest profile sports resigned within a two-month period.But after two great hires, Jon Weavil in basketball and Chuck Henderson in football, that all seems like ancient history.School administrators really had to scramble when Robert Hairston abruptly quit right before the Central Carolina Conference tournament for personal health reasons and Coleman Davis took over on an interim basis for the rest of the season.Weavil was hired on May 7 and the Yellow Jacket community should be excited. That's in part because Weavil is an excitable, high-energy guy and his enthusiasm is sure to carry over to Lexington basketball. Weavil is also an excitable, high-energy guy who knows how to win. His years with Matt Ridge over at Davidson Community College are ample evidence of that.DCCC has built its success on pressure defense and transition offense, which go hand-in-hand. It's a tempo that most players enjoy. Lexington has plenty of good players returning who ought to thrive in such a system. Weavil previously spent three years as an assistant coach at Lexington under the late Rosco Turner before he joined up with Ridge, so he's no stranger to the community. Lexington was 58-20 in conference play under Hairston and there's no reason to think Weavil won't continue that success or even surpass it. Lexington's football program has had a lot more turnover than any school would like and Kwayu Graham's resignation after one season as head coach and two as defensive coordinator under Joe Gaddis was a real jolt. But almost immediately, Lexington athletic director Ronnie Beverly said he wished Graham well and that the school was moving on. And that's what the school did in a very positive manner with the hiring of Henderson, a longtime resident of Lexington. The pieces are in place for Henderson to enjoy a long career at Lexington and produce a lot of wins.Henderson is an intense, high energy coach who always gets the most out of his players. During his seven years at Ledford, Henderson's teams were a threat to win in most of their games. As soon as Graham stepped down, Henderson's name came up just like it did three years ago when Chris Deal departed to become the coach at Patton. It seems like a natural fit.An added plus is that Henderson is going to run a system that is player-friendly — the spread offense. Henderson believes in spreading the field because it forces the defense to defend more territory. He'll have the athletes to do that at Lexington and that should make for some fun times at Philpott Memorial Stadium beginning in August.Henderson is extremely competitive and his drive should carry over to the Yellow Jackets. Lexington has a storied history in the sport and Henderson should provide the spark to propel the Yellow Jackets back to that lofty status.Mike Duprez can be reached at 249-3981, ext. 218 or mike.duprez@the-dispatch.com.

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